Engineering Manager - Backend

ABOUT QUINCE

Quince is a destination for builders, creators, innovators, and operators who want to come together and challenge the status quo. Our mission is simple: make really high quality essentials for really low prices, fairly and sustainably. We deliver on that mission through a unique manufacturer-to-consumer (M2C) model eliminating the layers of traditional retail that add cost and result in consumers paying more than they need to. We find, build relationships with, and work directly with the manufacturing partners behind some of the world’s finest products. From there, our teams design smart, efficient operational processes  and build and deploy proprietary technology, AI, and analytics to help us scale fast.

What began with a small assortment of elevated basics has quickly grown into a cross-category brand spanning apparel, accessories, home goods, and more. Today, tens of millions of people across a growing number of countries come – and return – to Quince because they trust us to deliver.

OUR CULTURE

Quince is a culture built for builders by builders. Our way of working starts with a blank sheet of paper. We question conventional thinking, use technology and data to uncover new opportunities, and move quickly to turn ideas into reality. We aren’t interested in replicating how others do retail. We’re building a better way – at a speed and scale unlike anything that’s been done before.

• We dream big and chase the hard problems others shy away from. Rejecting long-held assumptions is part of our company's DNA.  Where conventional wisdom says you have to choose – soft or durable, speed or rigor, quality or price – we ask why that trade-off has to exist in the first place.
• Our pace is fast and the bar is high because our customers expect a lot from us and we refuse to let them down. We believe the best results come from challenging ourselves, learning from one another, and building on each other's strengths. 
• Here, responsibility is not determined by role, tenure, or seniority. Every team member - no matter their level - has the opportunity to drive our business and shape our trajectory. 

If you’re someone who likes to imagine new possibilities and build better systems rather than plug-in to outdated ones, Quince is the place for you.

THE ROLE

Engineering Manager - Backend

We are seeking an Engineering Manager - Backend to lead a high-performing backend engineering team and drive the delivery of reliable, scalable, and high-quality software systems at Quince. In this role, you will combine people leadership with strong technical judgment to help the team execute effectively, solve complex engineering problems, and build products that create meaningful impact for our customers and business.

You will be responsible for the team's execution, engineering quality, and operational health while partnering closely with Product, Engineering, and cross-functional stakeholders. You will help create a culture of ownership, collaboration, and continuous improvement while ensuring the team delivers against business priorities.

Responsibilities

• Manage, mentor, and develop a team of backend engineers through regular coaching, feedback, career development, and performance management
• Hire and build a strong engineering team by identifying, evaluating, and attracting high-quality engineering talent
• Actively participate in the design, development, delivery, and maintenance of backend software systems
• Provide technical guidance to engineers on system design, software architecture, coding practices, scalability, performance, and reliability
• Own the execution and quality of software delivered by the team, ensuring projects are delivered on time and to a high engineering standard
• Work closely with Product Management, Design, Data, Infrastructure, and other Engineering teams to define requirements and translate business priorities into actionable technical plans
• Drive project planning, prioritization, estimation, and resource allocation across the team's initiatives
• Help the team identify and resolve complex technical problems related to scale, performance, reliability, and system stability
• Establish and promote strong engineering practices around code quality, testing, documentation, observability, and maintainability
• Own the operational health of the team's services, including production defects, incidents, monitoring, and reliability improvements
• Partner with engineers to conduct root-cause analysis and drive production issues through to resolution
• Help identify opportunities to improve engineering processes, development velocity, and overall team effectiveness
• Ensure operational efficiency and actively participate in organizational initiatives with the objective of delivering the highest customer value
• Tailor processes and execution approaches to effectively manage time-sensitive and ambiguous business and technical challenges
• Foster a culture of ownership, collaboration, continuous learning, and engineering excellence within the team

Qualifications

Required:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field
• 6–9 years of software engineering experience, with strong experience in backend development
• 2+ years of experience managing or leading backend engineering teams
• Strong hands-on experience with Java and frameworks such as Spring or Spring Boot
• Strong understanding of object-oriented programming, data structures, algorithms, software design, and engineering fundamentals
• Experience designing and building scalable, reliable backend services and APIs
• Strong understanding of system design, distributed systems, databases, and cloud-based applications
• Experience working with cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, or GCP
• Experience with software development lifecycle, engineering best practices, testing, code reviews, and production operations
• Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to identify root causes and drive technical issues to resolution
• Demonstrated experience hiring, mentoring, and developing engineers
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Ability to balance technical execution, team development, and business priorities
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment with ambiguity and changing priorities

Preferred:

• Experience working in a high-growth technology company, startup, e-commerce, or consumer-facing environment
• Experience building and operating high-scale customer-facing backend systems
• Experience with microservices, event-driven architectures, distributed systems, and cloud-native technologies
• Experience with SRE practices, observability, incident management, and production reliability
• Experience driving improvements in engineering productivity, development processes, and operational excellence
• Experience partnering closely with Product Managers and cross-functional teams to deliver customer-facing products
• Experience building and growing engineering teams from an early stage
• Experience working in retail, e-commerce, or other high-volume consumer platforms
• Strong interest in mentoring engineers and building a culture of ownership and continuous improvement.

WHY QUINCE?

Joining Quince means being part of a mission-driven team reshaping retail. You will work alongside talented colleagues, tackle meaningful challenges, and contribute to building a more sustainable, accessible future for customers and partners alike.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY & HIRING INTEGRITY

Quince provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applications for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran or military status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. 

Quince is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation to complete your application or to perform the essential functions of a role at Quince, please let us know by completing this accommodation form. We review all requests individually and will work with you to determine appropriate accommodations on a case-by-case basis.

Employment is contingent upon successful completion of a background check. Quince will conduct background checks in compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws.

Security Advisory: Beware of Frauds

At Quince, we're dedicated to recruiting top talent who share our drive for innovation. To safeguard candidates, Quince emphasizes legitimate recruitment practices. Initial communication is primarily via official Quince email addresses and LinkedIn; beware of deviations. Personal data and sensitive information will not be solicited during the application phase. Interviews are conducted via phone, in person, or through the approved platforms Google Meets or Zoom—never via messaging apps or other calling services. Offers are merit-based, communicated verbally, and followed up in writing. If personal information is requested to initiate the hiring process, rest assured it will be through secure and protected means.